The San Diego region's beaches are one of our most important environmental and economic assets. The beaches provide wonderful recreational opportunities to residents and visitors, and are a vital component of the important tourism and recreation sectors of our economy. Over the past two decades the region's shoreline has experienced chronic and continuing erosion. Our beaches are disappearing. Like dozens of other places all over the world where beach restoration is underway, we need to take action to save our beaches.
SANDAG has restored six miles of San Diego region coastline from Oceanside to Imperial Beach. This is the first-ever regional beach restoration project undertaken on the West Coast.
This inventory will be a Geographic Information System (GIS) of the nearshore coastal environment and serve as a clearinghouse for data and projects affecting nearshore resources.
The Regional Monitoring Program measures the changes in beach width over time, documents the benefits of sand replenishment projects, and helps to improve the design and effectiveness of beach fills.
The Sand Compatibility and Opportunistic Use Program provides protocols and templates for a generic regional opportunistic sand program for California.
Through funding from the California Department of Boating and Waterways and contributions from the region’s coastal cities, SANDAG will continue the process of restoring the region’s eroded beaches by implementing proactive measures to protect and enhance the quality of our coastline.
